Java water dropwort; Japanese parsley
A perennial herb of the parsley family, often used in Japanese cuisine, especially in spring dishes like nanakusa-gayu.
One of the seven spring herbs is seri (Java water dropwort).
The leaves of seri have a distinctive aroma.
せり is the traditional Japanese word for a competitive bidding sale (e.g. at a fish market), while オークション is the modern, often online, loanword for the same concept.
芹 (せり) is an unrelated homophone meaning Japanese parsley or water dropwort, while 競り (せり) means auction or bidding.
Katakana spelling is common for this plant name; usually written in kana.
Kanji spelling, less common in everyday use.
Rare kanji variant.
Rare kanji variant.
The origin of the word せり is uncertain. It may be related to the verb 競る (せる, 'to compete'), as the plant grows vigorously in clusters, but this is speculative.